Louise Bourgeois sculptures of--need I explain? At the Louisiana Museum outside of Copenhagen. Nakkna dress, Barbara Bui sandals, jacket designed by my Mom, Threeasfour bag, Alexander Wang sunglasses.
Of all places to be stranded, I can hardly complain about Copenhagen. Nonetheless, I've been away from home for the better part of a month, and was looking forward to getting back. Of course I have excellent luck with weather, and timed my arrival to coincide with Irene's. My flight home was canceled, and it's just as well-- my apartment is literally on the borderline of evacuation Zone C, so I consider myself successfully evacuated. I am wondering where all of the other evacuees are going as this whole hurrication thing is fun, but expensive.
If I only had some company here, I'd be much happier. Jimmy got on his flight back to Stockholm as scheduled, so I will be stranded here alone. I won't be joining him in Stockholm for another 2 months, but we had an amazing time visiting the Louisiana Museum before he left.
Anyway, if you are in Copenhagen, holler at me! And if you are on the east coast, stay safe and dry!
This guy was part of a puppet festival in Helsinki!
Getting my haircut at ARROJO by Topher. All photographs by David Ducane.
Last Tuesday, I was invited to get my hair cut and styled at ARROJO Studio, an amazing salon that's been home to many of my hair stylist friends. While I've visited the studio many times before, thrown parties for the salon, and even had my hair cut by off-duty Arrojo stylists (thank you Ashley), I never actually have had the privilege of sitting in an ARROJO salon chair and getting the full treatment. ARROJO asked several bloggers to get their hair done and photographed, and I was lucky enough to get to participate.
In case you can't tell, beauty-wise I'm extremely low maintenance. I almost never cut my hair, and when I do, I usually do it myself, so going to a salon is a real treat. Topher was a real trooper about dealing with the resulting tragedy that was my hair--a long and mangy tangle of frazzled split ends. He also gave me the best hair cut I've ever had in my life (probably because of the whole cutting my hair myself thing), chopping off all the deadweight and adding plenty of layers and volume in their place. After the cut, I was also treated to a full makeup application by Liz, the in-house makeup artist. The final results will be revealed at a party at the studio in September, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek. Thank you so much to Topher, Liz, Andrew, Daniel, Rebecca, Victoria, David, and everyone else at ARROJO--I had an amazing time!
This past Thursday, we shot our Triskaidekaphobia Fall lookbook with our dear friend and favorite feisty blogger, Lulu Chang. Lulu has coyly been hinting at a move to New York for the past year, which is yet to happen. In the meantime, we have to settle for quick glimpses when she comes over for her business jaunts. This time, we really made Lulu work, putting her through an eight-hour shoot that had her climbing, perching, and tilting dangerously off of anything high up and unsafe that we could get her on top of. We even had the misfortune of all getting caught in a flash thunderstorm which drenched us to the bone, in addition to ruining half of our electronics. Thank you Lulu for being such a good sport, getting soaked, and taking a tumble or two! And an extra special thank you to our photographer Serichai Traipoom, our hair stylist, Dakota Heman, and our makeup artist, Terese Bennett. Please check out their websites!
Vintage shearling coat courtesy of What Goes Around Comes Around, Coven dress, Topshop Unique cardigan, Jameson sweater leggings, Hunter boots, YSL belt, We Are Owls scarf that Ashley gave me for Christmas, Peter Pilotto x Kipling backpack, Arms and Armory necklace, Devaki hat.
In case you haven't heard, this winter has gone down as the snowiest so far in New York's history. My husband is simultaneously loving the three snow days he's gotten thus far while openly mocking our American inability to cope with extreme weather. In Stockholm they deal with this on a very regular basis, and he's relayed frightening stories about using the half-mile frozen lake near his apartment as a drunken shortcut in the middle of the night. Anyway, while he enjoyed his day off, I still had to go to work with Christina, which was a trecherous, yet beautiful 20 minute walk. Luckily, I just got this vintage shearling coat from What Goes Around Comes Around, which is so thick and warm, I don't even need to layer anything under it. Paired with my Hunter boots and sweater leggings which I basically haven't removed for the past month (don't worry, I've at least laundered them), and I was decently set for the elements. Here are some photos I took of the snow on my way to work!
I grabbed a sandwich at Defonte's to warm me up
The park on 17th St. looked so pretty, but all of those snow-laden tree branches are pretty much death from above. I can't tell you how much mini snow-avalanches I saw falling from trees and buildings.
These people in Stuyvesant town were in the midst of building the biggest snowman ever
A few weeks ago, while Christina and I were DJing an event, some dorko who thought he was tech-savvy managed to crack my headphone jack in half. Seeing as the headphone jack is made out of metal, he was either really strong, or really clumsy (probably both). Either way, I still don't know exactly how it happened. By some weird stroke of luck, I happened to attend an event for Marshall Headphones the same evening, where I received a replacement headphone jack, which happened to be attached to a really nice pair of new headphones. They're huge, with soft squishy ear cushions, that encase you in your own little world of sound, the way good headphones should. They're a bit much to wear outside, but when I do, I feel like a proper music geek. Here's what I've been listening on my new headphones, my Top 10 albums/songs of 2010. What was on your Top 10 list?
Beach House- Jimmy doesn't really like Beach House very much, even less after I've played the entire album on repeat hoping to hypnotize him into loving it ("Come on! You'll love it! Just give it a chance!"). Why doesn't that work? I guess Beach House isn't for everybody; they're a bit dour, and maybe even a downer, but it's such beautiful music.
Gorillaz- I really enjoyed this album, especially the songs they did with Little Dragon, who definitely deserves the exposure. To Binge might be my favorite song of the year
The Drums- Of course I had to include my BFFs. Congratulations to the boys, who were on the cover of NME twice this year!
The Morning Benders- I saw them play on Governors Island this summer, and it was pure magic. Excuses is my favorite song on the album, but the rest of it is equally excellent.
Hot Chip- I just about love everything they touch. One Life Stand is a staple every time I DJ.
Ariel Pink- This was our soundtrack for the summer. I hear he's playing a NYE party in Bushwick, and I'm a little bit disappointed that I won't be able to attend.
Vampire Weekend- Loving these prepster in spite of every instinct telling me that I should hate them.
Robyn- The most pure and perfect pop.
The Radio Dept.- Classic Indie Swedish rock. Also a bit of a downer. Still, one of the albums that Jimmy and I both love.
LCD Soundsystem- No Top 10 list would be complete without this quintessential New York album.
Jimmy has this special way of looking like a teenage ax-murderer in every single photograph I ever take of him. I wore my Lanvin x H&M tee, Viktor & Rolf x H&M skirt, and a Ophelie Hats beret and Saks Fifth Avenue scarf, which were Christmas gifts.
For Christmas, my family and I went up to Woodstock, New York to celebrate, with Jimmy taking charge of presenting an eleven-course traditional Swedish Jul smorgasbord. We made the tough decision of not going back to Stockholm for Christmas, since we were just there in August, and we're pretty happy we didn't go, seeing how backed up flight travel in Europe has been in the past week. To make up for it, Jimmy recreated the meal that his grandmother usually cooks, making nine of the eleven dishes from scratch. The menu included a smoked eight pound ham, Swedish meatballs, Janssons Frestelse (a potato gratin), two types of pickled herring, gravlax, pickled red cabbage, beet salad, kale, and knäckebröd.
It was one the of the best Christmases I've ever had, even though we ended up having to drive back to New York City in the midst of Snowpocalypse 2010. The car ride took seven hours rather than the usual two, and we passed--literally--hundreds of stopped, stuck, and stalled cars on the road. At one point we got stuck at a gas station, and Jimmy and my brother had to get out and push the car out of the snow. So much for avoiding the terrible weather in Europe. Anyhow, we got the (slightly late) White Christmas that we both had been wishing for, and did make it home safely. Hope you all had a wonderful holidays!
The full spread
Gravlax, herring, meatballs, and plenty of Aquavit of course!
Zana Bayne harness, Risto bomber jacket, Rick Owens cardigan, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair top, jeans courtesy of Charley 5.0, Alexander Wang Sunglasses and boots, bag courtesy of Katherine Kwei, Iosselliani ring.
After a lot of deliberation, I finally got a hold of my very own Zana Bayne harness. It took me a while (let's be honest, a full year) to figure out which color and style I wanted, but I eventually settled for the double-wing harness in brown, which has a nice equestrian feel to it. The harness arrived right in time for fall, and while it's unfortunately too bulky to fit under jackets, it seems to work quite well over them instead. I wore it out this past weekend to go for fika (coffee break) at the Svenksa Kykan (Swedish Church) with Jimmy. Speaking of which, Svenska Kyrkan will be having a Swedish Christmas Fair this weekend, and we'll be stopping by again for ginger snaps and glogg.
My new obsession: the Recession Jacket, which can be worn long, or flipped upside-down and worn with a giant shawl-collar.
After hearing every single one of my friends raving about Ying Chu's new collection, I knew I had to take the time to visit his home studio and see everything myself. Ying has been sewing up a storm, and I'm happy to say I wasn't the least bit disappointed. While his oversize jersey tees and drapey dresses are easy pieces that flatter every figure, the real stand-outs are the coats and cardigans, which are all designed to be worn right-side up, and upside-down. They're not only incredibly chic and versatile, but are also pretty warm. Plus, they're oversized enough to squeeze in plenty of layers underneath! I'm personally saving up for the wool Recession coat. Here are some of my other favorites, and if you're in New York, watch this space, we'll be throwing a party for Ying's new collection in the next few weeks!
Another of my favorites, the buffalo plaid cardigan, which can also be worn upside-down. Worn with the Ying Chu peach tank dress, American Apparel tee, Dieppa Restrepo brogues, H&M tights, Forever 21 headband and Triskaidekaphobia tooth necklace.
Another shot with the shawl up
Ying, with two of his hoodies
Another favorite: the sheer back racer tee and paneled leggings. Ying's bestie/roomate Hiraku modeled all the clothes for the lookbook!
An oversized dual-colored tee
The short wool coat, which can also be worn upside down.
Ying's sketches
I had to include a shot of Ying's bedroom, which has the most gorgeous exposed brick walls and incredible built-in fireplace.
Yesterday Nicollette, Christina, Ashley, Erin and I took a field trip out to Flushing, Queens to have a girl's day at Spa Castle. Having seemingly landed in Beijing, rather than the far reaches of New York City, my companions seemed rather surprised (and let's admit it, probably suspicious). While I have spent many a childhood meal eating many dim sum and Chinese banquet meals in Flushing Chinatown, I must say it seems like a dubious location for an ostensible luxury spa. Maybe it's because I work at Happy Ending, a bar that once housed a Chinatown "massage parlor" that famously delivered the "special release," but you can't help but get a little skeptical of the idea of an authentic Asian spa. Nonetheless, after boarding a van and being taken through a long stretch of Korean restaurants and desolate suburban street, we arrived at a 100,000 square foot complex, complete with indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, saunas, food courts, nap rooms, and of course, an array of spa and massage treatments. For the flat price of $45 ($35 on weekdays), you get access to all of the facilities, paying extra for treatments, massages, and food. The entire concept is based on bath houses that they have all over Korea and the rest of Asia.
The spa has at least 10 different saunas, including an authentic Finnish-style steam sauna, where I tried to replicate the sauna experience I had at my friend Aapo's country house in Finland: sweating for as long as you can take it in the extraordinarily hot sauna, before plunging into a body of icy cold water (in Finland a freezing lake, and in this case, a 59 degree cold bath). They also have a smurf-village configuration of somewhat less authentic saunas, such as "Ice Land," a cold sauna, "Jade Sauna", a sauna housed in an agate lined igloo, "Gold Sauna," which is lined in gold foil, and a "Color Therapy" sauna where you can change the lighting according to your mood. Violet, for example, is supposed to promote creativity, but I just chose it because it looks pretty.
However, the most rejuvenating part of the entire experience was stepping under "The Waterfall," which rapidly pours gallons of water onto you like its namesake, is brutally akin to being hosed down by the police, yet also provides a sadistically pleasurable massage that leaves you aching afterwards.
We finished the day in Women's section, which we affectionately labeled "The Naked Section" (sorry, no pictures provided), where there is absolutely no room for modesty. Even if it's not for the shy, it is probably the most relaxing place in the entire spa, sheltered from the large crowds and screaming children that pack the outdoor pool areas. That is, unless you're Christina, and get anxiety attacks from being surrounded by frolicking naked people.
None of us had any massages, and there definitely weren't any happy endings, but we all had a relaxing day trip and a perfect day, for much cheaper than any spa a quarter of Spa Castle's size back in the homeland, Manhattan. We will most definitely be back, and Spa Castle is the one thing that makes me look forward to winter, when I plan on doing some jacuzzi in the snow.
